Hamish MacDonald slams working from home phenomenon as ‘nonsense’

Hamish MacDonald has slapped down a business guru who claimed that working from home is here to stay while slamming the phenomenon as ‘nonsense’.

Corporate Advisor Tina Paterson told The Project it was employees who had the power to decide whether they wanted to return to the office post Covid. 

However, Macdonald argued young workers could learn from their superiors in the office and that allowing the choice ‘diminishes’ the notion of a workplace. 

‘If you don’t offer your employees flexibility, others will,’ Ms Paterson warned. 

The guru said business leaders needed to shift their mindsets to outcomes rather than the number of hours spent in the office. 

‘Isn’t work about more than just the outcomes?’ MacDonald hit back.

‘You want a culture, you want a space that people can come to and have friendships, have relationships, that build networks and you learn from.’ 

‘They don’t, they want to be at home,’ his co-host Carrie Bickmore interrupted. 

The Project host Hamish MacDonald has slapped down a business guru who claimed the working from home phenomenon is here to stay post Covid

‘Creating businesses where it is only about the outcome actually strips away from many people the pleasure, joy and stimulation of being in a job,’ Macdonald said.

‘It’s about having both,’ Ms Paterson replied.   

MacDonald told his co-hosts ‘the whole working from home thing is nonsense’. 

‘I hate it. I think if your a young worker you want to be in a workplace where you can learn from people,’ he said.  

‘Unless we think really clearly about this, I think your actually just pulling apart what the purpose of a workplace is. 

‘I think it’s diminishing the value that you can get from having a job.’

Corporate Advisor Tina Paterson (pictured) told The Project it was employees who had the power to decide whether they wanted to return to the office

According to the latest census data from the Bureau of Statistics, 1 in 5 Australians were working from home on the Census Date last year, August 10 (stock image)

According to the latest census data from the Bureau of Statistics, one in five Australians were working from home on the Census Date last year, August 10. 

While the majority of workers received their first opportunity to work from home during the Covid pandemic, experts believe the rising cost of living and price of fuel is deterring people from returning to the office full-time. 

Other workers don’t want to spend hours waiting in traffic during their commute to work while others liked saving the money usually spent on fares. 

Organisational psychologist Amantha Imber said people opted to be in the office on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays so they could ‘ease into work’. 

‘That means it is quite nice on the Friday to ease out of your week if your spending the day working from home,’ she explained. 

Carrie Bickmore (right) said some workers tired of their jobs without interaction in the office

While some organisations offered flexibility, others were more ‘old school’, she said.

‘Given the war for talent going on at the moment, employees can vote with their feet’ she said, adding people worked best when allowed more autonomy. 

During the Covid pandemic, Australians who were able to were encouraged to work from home to minimise the spread of the disease. 

Companies vary when it comes to work from home policies, with some offices requiring their staff to come in full-time while others allowing employees to choose. 

Bickmore on Tuesday night announced she would quit The Project to spend more time with her partner Chris Walker and her three children Ollie, Adelaide and Evie.

Bickmore on Tuesday night (pictured) announced she would quit The Project to spend more time with her partner Chris Walker and her three children Ollie, Adelaide and Evie

The TV presenter fought back tears as she told viewers it was the hardest decision she had made in her professional life.

The mother of three has been on The Project desk since the show launched in 2009 and has since become a familiar face on Australian screens.

‘I have some news that I wanted to share… s**t I’m already crying,’ she began.

‘I have made the tough decision to finish up hosting the show at the end of the year.

‘It’s been the hardest decision of my professional life, to make this call, but it’s time for a new challenge and for my next chapter.’